Scratch-off ticket or playing card

ABSTRACT

A scratch-off lottery ticket or game card, and method of play. The game card is a paper substrate with a play area defined thereon and a first set of play indicia is printed directly on the substrate and a first scratch-off covering is applied at least partially over the first set of indicia. In one embodiment, a series of game play spot indicators is also marked on the exterior surface of the scratch-off covering over the first set of indicia and a coordinate area is defined on the substrate on which a set second set of play indicia is variably imaged, and the second set of play indicia includes at least one game play spot selection indicia, and a second scratch off covering is at least partially over the coordinate area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to printed game tickets. More particularly, the present invention relates to scratch-off lottery tickets and promotional game play cards.

2. Description of the Related Art

Scratch off lottery or promotional game play cards are well known to those skilled in the art. These types of game or play cards are also known to those familiar with the art as a “ticket.” The typical prior art scratch-off lottery ticket 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1 has two distinct areas, a display area 12 which does not change from ticket to ticket and is printed using traditional printing processes and technologies. The known lottery tickets also have a play area 14 which changes from ticket to ticket, and is “imaged” using high-speed ink jet printers that receive their input from sophisticated computer programs.

The security of a scratch-off lottery ticket is largely dependent on the variability of its play symbols or game indicia. No player should ever be able to determine, from one ticket to the next, what symbols will appear when the latex is rubbed off. This need for variability is why play spots/indicia have been “imaged” using high-speed ink jet printers, as known to those skilled in the art, rather than being “printed” on the card surface. Although the high-speed ink jet imagers offer the ability to quickly image a great amount of variable game play indicia, these known imagers are severely limited in terms of their ability to create aesthetically pleasing images or symbols.

While the technology exists to image four color play symbols, the capital investment required to configure a press to accommodate this technology is extremely costly. The premium that a scratch-off lottery ticket producer would have to charge to recover these costs would be prohibitive for most lotteries, and thus the need exists for offering the ability to have printed color game play indicia at a reasonable cost and in a secure fashion.

Some game card/lottery ticket producers do currently offer the ability to image, but not print, four color symbols or game play indicia on the surface of the game/play card for otherwise conventional play actions. As the symbols or game indicia for theses cards or tickets are imaged, however, the problem persists of the game indicia being visually unappealing, and any such color-imaged card or ticket produced being relatively costly and less secure than if the game play indicia were printed on the game card or ticket, respectively.

There is a need, therefore, for a promotional game card or lottery ticket having game play indicia printed directly on the face of the card or ticket, rather than being imaged thereon. The need also exists for the ability to print any such game play indicia in color on the face of any such game card or lottery ticket as well. It is thus to such a scratch-off ticket and playing card that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a scratch-off lottery ticket or game or promotional card having a printed, rather than an imaged, field of play surface and game play indicia, which surface and indicia are latex-covered and linked to imaged field play action indicators or indicia also present on the ticket.

So formed, the invention offers lottery ticket and promotional game play card producers and game players a cost-effective and secure method for providing four color process printing playing symbols or indicia which are printed directly on the face of the ticket, rather than imaged thereon, and such game indicia can then be latex covered in known fashion for providing a scratch off lottery ticket, or a game or promotional ticket or game play card.

In one embodiment, the invention is a scratch-off game card that includes a paper substrate with a play area defined on the substrate, and a first set of play indicia is printed directly on the substrate of the game card with a scratch-off covering applied at least partially over the first set of indicia. A series of game play spot indicators is marked on the exterior surface of the scratch-off covering over the first set of indicia, and a coordinate area is defined on the substrate upon which a set second set of play indicia is variably imaged, and the second set of play indicia includes at least one game play spot selection indicia with a second scratch-off covering applied at least partially over the coordinate area.

The invention also includes a method of playing a scratch-off game, comprising the steps of scratching off a first latex covering over a plurality of selection indicia variably imaged in a coordinate area of a game card; determining at least a first game play spot on the game card in response thereto, scratching off a second latex covering applied over the first game play spot on a play area defined on the game card, the second latex covering a game indicia in the first play game spot, and then determining whether the game card is a winner based upon the uncovered game indicia.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan illustration of a prior art scratch-off lottery ticket or promotional game card.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the inventive scratch-off lottery ticket illustrating the paper substrate, the printed image layer, and the scratch-off latex layer.

FIG. 3A is a plan illustration of an embodiment of a scratch-off lottery ticket or promotional game card of the present invention with the scratch-off latex layer still intact.

FIG. 3B is the scratch-off lottery ticket of FIG. 3A with the scratch-off layer removed in accord with the play instructions.

FIG. 3C is the scratch-off lottery ticket of FIGS. 3A and 3B with the scratch-off layer completely removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements throughout, FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate one embodiment of a scratch-off game card 20 having a printed face 8 and a first set of game indicia 50 printed as a part of the face 38, and a second set of variable game indicia 46 separately imaged on the face 38, and both the first set 50 and second set 46 of game indicia being at least partially covered with by at least one contiguous removable scratch off covering, or as shown, here, a first removable scratch-off covering 42 over the first set of game indicia 50 and a second removable scratch-off covering 40 over the second set of game indicia 46. A grid 44 is imaged upon the first removable scratch-off covering 42 over the first set of game indicia 50 so as to provide a plurality of coordinates where each coordinate is over one indicia of the first set of indicia 50. The second set of variable game indicia 46 is comprised of individual coordinates for the grid 44.

In this embodiment, the scratch-off linked-field play action lottery ticket 20 or a promotional game has two latex-covered fields/areas of game indicia. The ticket 20 has a first play area 39 and set of game indicia 50 where the indicia can be a variety of play symbols, for example playing cards, slot symbols, and the like, which are each printed on the surface 28 of the paper substrate 22 forming the ticket 20 using traditional, four color printing techniques, and printed ink layer 24 is shown on FIG. 2. The play area 39 is then covered with latex 26 and a grid 50 is printed on top of the latex 24. Each column of the grid 50 may be assigned a first selection indicia 41, for example a number, and each row of the grid is assigned a second selection indicia 43, for example a letter, as shown on scratch-off lottery ticket 20.

In this embodiment, the lottery ticket 20 further has a second coordinate area 45 on which various coordinates, for example, B3, D4, C1, and the like, are variably imaged in known fashion on the paper substrate 22 of the ticket, and then covered with latex 26. The imaged coordinates in the coordinate area 45 comprise subsets of the available coordinates within the play area 39. Game players first scratch off the coordinate area 45 to determine which spots in the play are to be scratched-off, i.e., played, on the play area 39. Those identified game play or coordinate spots, and those spots only, determine whether the ticket is a winner or loser., the invention is described in greater detail by reference to a scratch-off type of a lottery ticket or game, as well as with reference to a scratch-off type of a game or a promotional card, all of which are collectively referred to herein as a “ticket.”

As shown on FIG. 2, the ticket 20 has a variety of play symbols or indicia, for example playing cards, slot symbols, numbers and the like, printed directly on a paper substrate 22 of the ticket 20, rather than being imaged thereon with an ink jet printer. The game play indicia is printed on the substrate, which is the face 28 of the ticket 20, using any of the known types of color printing techniques, to include four color printing techniques as known.

Once the game play indicia have been printed on the ticket 20, the print layer 24 of the play area is then covered with a layer 26 scratch-off type of a “latex,” as known to those skilled in the art. For reference, the ticket of FIG. 3C has had the latex layer 26 completely removed. Thereafter a grid or other suitable game play indicators or guides are imaged, rather than being printed, on the exterior surface 30 of the latex layer 26, in known fashion. Each column of the grid is assigned a first selection indicia 41, for example a number, and each row of the grid is assigned a second selection indicia 43, for example a letter.

In play, a game player will scratch off the latex covering over the selection indicia of the coordinate area 45 in order to determine which game play spots 48 the player is then to scratch off on the play area. The indicated game play spots 48, as designated by the coordinate area 45, and only those spots determine whether the ticket is a winner or loser. Thus, the game card 20 provides a method of playing a scratch-off game including the steps of scratching off a first latex covering 40 over a plurality of selection indicia 46 variably imaged in a coordinate area 45 of a game card 20, as shown in FIG. 3B, then determining at least a first game play spot 48 on the game card 20 in response thereto and scratching off a second latex covering 42 applied over the first game play spot 48 on a play area 39 defined on the game card 42, the second latex 42 covering a game indicia in the first play game spot 48; determining whether the game card 20 is a winner based upon the uncovered game indicia, and awarding a prize if the game care is a winner, such as a cash payout as known in the art of lottery games.

If there is a selection grid 44 over the second latex covering 42, and a first selection indicia 41 to each column of the grid, and a second selection indicia 43 to each row of the grid 44, the step of scratching of a first latex covering 40 reveals a first selection indicia 41 and second selection indicia 43 of the grid 44. Accordingly, the step of determining a first game play spot 48 is then is selecting a coordinate area of the grid 44. The step of scratching off a second latex covering 42 applied over the first game play spot 48 on a play area defined on the game card can repeated for all selection indicia of the coordinate area 45, as shown in the coordinate area 45 of game card 20.

The latex-covered linked play area concept relies on traditional printing technologies and processes to print four-color play symbols that do not vary from ticket to ticket. In this embodiment, the lottery game is made secure by the variability of the coordinates imaged in the coordinate area 45. Players determine which spots in the play area 39 are “live” by uncovering the coordinates in the coordinate area 45. Only those spots imaged in the coordinate area 39 determine whether the ticket 20 is a winner or loser.

While there has been shown a preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention, it is to be appreciated that certain changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements, and steps of the methods without departing from the underlying spirit and scope of the invention as is set forth in the Claims. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. 

1. A scratch-off game card having a printed face, a first set of game indicia printed as a part of said face, and a second set of variable game indicia separately imaged on said face, and both the first set and second set of game indicia being at least partially covered with by at least one removable scratch off covering.
 2. The game card of claim 1, further comprising a second removable scratch-off covering, and wherein the one removable scratch off covering covers the first set of game indicia and the second removable scratch-off covering covers the second set of game indicia.
 3. The game card of claim 1, wherein a grid is imaged upon the at least one removable scratch-off covering over the first set of game indicia, the grid providing a plurality of coordinates where each coordinate is over one indicia of the first set of indicia.
 4. The game card of claim 3, wherein the second set of variable game indicia is comprised of individual coordinates for the grid.
 5. A scratch-off game card, comprising: a paper substrate; a play area defined on the substrate; a first set of play indicia printed directly on the substrate of the game card; a first scratch-off covering applied at least partially over the first set of indicia; a series of game play spot indicators marked on the exterior surface of the scratch-off covering over the first set of indicia; a coordinate area defined on the substrate on which a set second set of play indicia is variably imaged, the second set of play indicia comprising at least one game play spot selection indicia; and a second scratch off covering applied at least partially over the coordinate area.
 6. The game card of claim 5, wherein the first scratch off covering and second scratch-off covering are contiguous.
 7. The game card of claim 5, wherein a grid is imaged upon the first scratch-off covering over the first set of indicia, the grid providing a plurality of coordinates wherein each coordinate is over one indicia of the first set of indicia.
 8. The game card of claim 7, wherein the second set of play indicia is comprised of individual coordinates for the grid.
 9. A method of playing a scratch-off game, comprising the steps of: scratching off a first latex covering over a plurality of selection indicia variably imaged in a coordinate area of a game card; determining at least a first game play spot on the game card in response thereto, scratching off a second latex covering applied over the first game play spot on a play area defined on the game card, the second latex covering a game indicia in the first play game spot; determining whether the game card is a winner based upon the uncovered game indicia; and awarding a prize if the game card is a winner.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein a selection grid is over the second latex covering, and a first selection indicia to each column of the grid and a second selection indicia to each row of the grid, and wherein the step of scratching of a first latex covering reveals a first selection indicia and second selection indicia of the grid.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining a first game play spot is selecting a coordinate area of the grid.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of scratching off a second latex covering applied over the first game play spot on a play area defined on the game card is repeated for all selection indicia of the coordinate area. 